Official: Wildwater Kingdom closing after 2016

https://www.wildwaterfun.com/media-center/wildwater-kingdom-update

Heartbreaking. I will miss this property. September 5th is the last day for anyone interested in going.

Here's hoping that CF sells the park to another operator over closing outright. I would hate to see Northeast Ohio lose another attraction.

I knew this was coming but its still sad news.. Now people can drive past a bulldozed place where they have had memories.. sad.. but for the best I guess..

Kind of surprised. I heard the place was always packed. At the same time though I am somewhat surprised it lasted this long.

I had a weird feeling usually I ignore the closing rumors because they're a yearly thing but I felt like we should go more than once this year. I'm glad they're at least giving some notice. I had been planning to take my kids to the beach at Cedar Point Saturday and maybe do some riding in the evening but I think we'll be going to WWK instead. I thought for sure when the new Soak City stuff was announced and none of it looked like it came from WWK that they were safe for another season.

That would come after the Soak City expansion. Makes total sense, but still sad to lose another park option.

This really bums me out, I love the convenience and size of WWK. It's so much more manageable and easier than Soak City and the prime reason we get a platinum pass. I sure will miss this park!

IanTajgiszer said:
I knew this was coming but its still sad news.. Now people can drive past *another* bulldozed place where they have had memories.. sad.. but for the best I guess..

Fixed that for ya.

Good thing they were offering discounts on those platinum passes last night...

Is it possible they'll be removing some of the old water slides from Soak City and be replacing them with some of the bigger Wildwater Kingdom slides?

I was in the Aurora area a number of times around lunch time this summer and stopped in only for my meal plan lunch. I'll miss it for the free lunch!

Steve-O said:

Is it possible they'll be removing some of the old water slides from Soak City and be replacing them with some of the bigger Wildwater Kingdom slides?

I can definitely see that, but probably not until 2018. That way they can generate more excitement while spending next to nothing. Liquid lighting seems like it can fit into 'slide complex #1s' space and the slide tower in 'slide complexes #2 and 3'.

And Valleyfair has been planning for a water park expansion with permits filed for a dedicated water park parking lot and entrance, so it's possible they may get them too.

I could definitely see them cannibalizing the slides for other properties, then bringing in the bulldozers...

I'm sure they did it just so more people go to CP Shores...

Could be part of the equation. If I owned Pioneer waterland I would look at expansion opportunity.

Here's hoping they send some of the slides to CP shores. The tube slide in particular was really fun. Not worth driving to Aurora fun. But fun.

My first (and apparently last) trip to WWK was earlier this year. In about 5 years we'll be able to see drone footage of an abandoned waterpark (like the GL videos).

Very sad to hear this, but if WWK is not sold to another company, I hope it gets razed and redeveloped in a timely manner instead of just being left to rot like Geauga Lake.

Interesting that Cedar Fair now has 2 funnel slides that are no longer in use and neither one is going to CP Shores.

It's not going to sell to another company and reopen as a water park... look at the way they worded the closure notice. Bainbridge and Aurora have other plans in mind for that land and there's no turning back from that

Cedar Fair built this water park just to close it! ;-)

In all seriousness, it's always sad to hear of a park closing and knowing how it'll affect people. Wildwater Kingdom was the last remnant of a bygone era, and soon it'll be another memory. But as hard as this news might be for some, at least there will be a remodeled water park an hour and a half away next season.

Any word on where the slides will be going? Possibly to the graveyard parks like Michigan or Dorney? I don't remember any parks announcements showing anything similar to the slides from WWK. I'm really wondering about the funnel slide. I think Knott's removed a similar one and I haven't seen that being placed at any park. Maybe they will just sell them or scrap them.